Suffering South Africa have lost their way in a perfect storm

Twenty years ago, after an agonising tie in the semi-final against Australia, South Africa exited the World Cup in England in the most heartbreaking fashion. It was a noble, gallant failure. This time, it is unlikely that they will get past the group stage: with three defeats and a washout, they have entered what one South African journalist called “the zombie zone”.

Not quite dead but not quite alive, they need to win all their remaining five games and, even then, they would not be sure of reaching the last four. Lacking the urgency and desperation associated with South Africa teams of the past, should confirmation of an early departure come before the knockout stages, the post mortem will be a very different one from